Ellin brings ‘Double Threat’ to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax May 1, 2019

Just a few days before V-E Day, on the anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe in 1945, Canadian journalist and author Ellin Bessner shares the stories of the 17,000 Canadians of Jewish faith who served in the Canadian military in WWII, helped defeat Hitler, and rescued the survivors of the Holocaust. They served at great personal risk, should their identities be discovered by the Nazis, and they had to overcome widespread antisemitism at home, in the ranks and on the battlefield. So many of the Canadian men and women in uniform passed through “An Eastern Canadian port” en route to England and also on the way back from overseas, including several of Bessner’s own relatives. Hear how the local Nova Scotia Jewish community welcomed them while they were there. Meanwhile, participation in the war by Jewish men and women from the Maritimes was very strong: most communities sent the majority of eligible young men and women. So many local Jewish families from the mainland and Cape Breton sent their sons and daughters into uniform, including the Heinishes, Marshalls, Goodmans, Conters, Frieds, Nathansons, Attises, Gaums, Golds, and so many others. Many did not come back.